Friday 19 October 2018

Book Review- Blog Tour: Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend (Middle Grade)

Title: Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend
Author: Cheryl Carpinello
Publisher:Bublish Incorporated
Publication date: May 2017
Pages: 150
Fornat Read: eBook
Source: Courtesy of Women on Writing Tour

Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend is available to purchase on Amazon.com. 



His one desire...To be a knight.
His future queen...At times reckless.
Best friends…Bound by Friendship and Loyalty.

When their adventure turns deadly & dangerous, Guinevere & Cedwyn find themselves embroiled in a life-or-death struggle.

Not only are they in danger, but so are the kids of Cadbury Castle.

Renegades--foiled in their attempt to kidnap the princess--steal the children of Cadbury Castle to sell as slaves. Guinevere and Cedwyn vow to rescue the children, but a miscalculation puts them all in more danger.

As the plan quickly unravels, Cedwyn chooses to turn his dream of becoming a knight into reality.
Will their courage be strong enough to survive, or will one make the ultimate sacrifice?


 


Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend is the second book in the Tales and Legends for Reluctant Readers series.

In this book Guinevere and Cedwyn sneak out to visit the wizard’s stones. They are eager to see the magic they have heard Merlyn talk about. When their horses are spooked by a piercing scream they flee afraid for their lives. The closest place is the Abbey and they know the monks will take them in. However they will not be safe there when the renegades attack. And what danger awaits Cadbury Castle whilst the men are away fighting?

Guinevere and Cedwyn’s fun adventure turns into a fight for their lives and what they will see and endure will cause the youngsters to grow up fast and take on grave responsibilities.
Cedwyn’s voice did not crack as it had a day ago. He was no longer a boy on an outing with his best friend. He had become their leader, their protector.”

Books for reluctant readers need to be fast paced and the plot uncomplicated and easily visualised. Guinevere: On the Dawn of Legend delivers on all these aspects.

The two main characters are likeable. Cedwyn has made a vow to protect Guinevere for life and he takes this very seriously. Guinevere is headstrong and determined although she still has a lot to learn about her future role as Queen.

There are themes of decision making, responsibilities and ruling with your head not your heart. The story has plenty of action, danger and breath-holding suspense with a splattering of light humour.

I didn’t agree with all the characters’ decisions and I think this leaves scope for good discussions.

The story is open ended and will leave many readers eager for the next instalment.

If your young reader loves stories filled with adventure, magic and mystery, heroes, strong women and good prevailing over evil then I recommend this series.

The book also has discussion questions at the end, ideas for further research and a rundown on the King Arthur legend.

My rating 4.5/ 5                     🌟🌟🌟🌟

Suitable for ages 8-12 years
Content: one non-graphic scene where the characters come across men killed by arrows.


I’m a retired high school English teacher. Currently I'm on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Authors' League, the oldest writing organization in Colorado. I also belong to the RMC-SCWBI, the Historical Novel Society, the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and the Egyptian Study Society.

A devourer of books growing up, my profession introduced me to writings and authors from times long past. Through my studies and teaching, I fell in love with the Ancient and Medieval Worlds. Now, I hope to inspire young readers and those Young-at-Heart to read more through my Tales and Legends for Reluctant Readers set in these worlds—Ancient Egypt, Medieval Wales, and coming soon, the ancient world of Atlantis.


This review is part of the Women On Writing blog tour. You can follow the other blogs on the tour below:
 

October 15th @ The Muffin
What goes better in the morning than a muffin? Be sure to stop by the launch day post for Cheryl Carpinello's blog tour for her book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend where we interview the author and you have the chance to win a copy of the book.
http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com

October 16th @ Write Like Crazy
You'll go nuts today over at Mary Jo Campbell's blog where author Cheryl Carpinello talks about finding stories within stories as you write. Also you can enter to win a copy of the book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend.
https://www.writelikecrazy.com/



October 19th @ Lori's Reading Corner
Visit Lori's blog where you can read Cheryl Carpinello's post about where her search for the Legend of King Arthur has taken her.
http://www.lorisreadingcorner.com/

October 19th @ Jill Sheets Blog
Visit Jill's blog today where Cheryl Carpinello talks about the continuing popularity of the King Arthur Legend.
https://jillsheets.blogspot.com/

October 19th @ The Burgeoning Bookshelf
You'll want to stock up your bookshelf once you visit by Veronica's blog, where she reviews Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend by Cheryl Carpinello.
https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogspot.com/

October 20th @ A New Look on Books
Stop by Rae's blog and take a glance at author Cheryl Carpinello's blog post the importance of reading and understanding myths, legends, and mythology.
https://anewlookonbooks.com/

October 22nd @ A New Look on Books
Come by Rae's blog and get a new look on Cheryl Carpinello's book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend.
https://anewlookonbooks.com/

October 23rd @ A Day in the Life of a Mom
Stop by Ashley's blog where she shares Cheryl's guest post about do boys respond to reading and writing differently than girls? And what should parents do about that?
https://adayinthelifeofmom.com/

October 25th @ A Day in the Life of a Mom
Check out Ashley's blog again where she shares her opinion on Cheryl Carpinello's book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend.
https://adayinthelifeofmom.com/

October 25th @ Fiction Thoughts
Stop by Emilie's blog where she shares her opinion about the book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend.
https://www.fictionthoughts.com/

October 28th @ Leonard Tillman’s Blog
http://leonardtillerman.com/ 

October 29th @ A Storybook World
Journey to today's blog post where Deirdra shares Cheryl Carpinello's blog post about how the author's years as an educator led her to writing Tales & Legends, (or why the author writes Tales & Legends for Reluctant Reader).
http://www.astorybookworld.com/


November 1st @ Look to the Western Sky
Make sure you look to Margo's blog today where she interviews the author Cheryl Carpinello, author of the Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend.
http://margoldill.com/

November 2nd @ Author Anthony Avina Blog
Visit Anthony's blog where he shares his thoughts about Cheryl Carpinello's book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend and read an interview with the author.
https://authoranthonyavinablog.com/

November 3rd @ The World of My Imagination
Stop by Nicole's blog where she shares her thoughts on Cheryl Carpinello's book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend.
theworldofmyimagination.blogspot.com

November 4th @ Author Anthony Avina Blog
Stop by Anthony's blog today where you can read author Cheryl Carpinello's blog post about whether it is really necessary for kids today to read the classics such as stories and plays from Ancient Greece, Rome and Shakespeare.
https://authoranthonyavinablog.com/

November 5th @ Coffee with Lacey
Grab a cup of your favorite brew, and join us at Lacey's blog where Cheryl Carpinello talks about the definition of reading and what medium qualifies as actual reading.
https://coffeewithlacey.wordpress.com/

November 7th @ Choices
Visit Madeline Sharples' blog where she shares Cheryl Carpinello's blog post about building characters that young readers bond with and how the author uses a combination of traits from my students over the years.
http://madelinesharples.com/

November 8th @ Fiona Ingram's Blog
Stop by Fiona's blog where she interviews a character from Cheryl Carpinello's book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend.
http://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com/

November 9th @ For the Hook of a Book
Make sure you stop by the book blog For the Hook of a Book and catch their review of Cheryl Carpinello's book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend. 
https://hookofabook.wordpress.com/




November 10th @ Chatty Patty's Place
Stop by Patty's blog where she spotlight's Cheryl Carpinello's book and also does a giveaway of the book for one lucky reader.
http://www.chattypattysplace.com/

November 11th @ Bri's Book Nook
Stop by Briennai's blog where she shares her thoughts about Cheryl Carpinello's book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend. 
https://brisbooknook.wordpress.com/

November 18th @ David Chuka Blog
Stop by David's blog where he interviews author Cheryl Carpinello about her and her book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend.
http://davidchuka.com/blog-2/



23 comments:

  1. Fantastic review! I love the point you made that a lot of the decisions leave room for discussion - couldn't agree more and I love books that do that!

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  2. This sounds good for younger readers. Thank you.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Robin. My young readers (ages 8-12/14) do enjoy the story of Guinevere & Cedwyn.

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    2. Perfect for the targetted age group. Thanks for dropping by.

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  3. I remember being captivated by this myth as a kid and it never grows old.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, DJ. I still read many Arthurian books.

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  4. Thank you so much for taking the time to read, review, and share "Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend."

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    1. You’re very welcome Cheryl. I’m looking forward to the next instalment.

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  5. This sounds great for young readers and it's an intriguing idea to get them more involved in books and history.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. Arthurian Legend has a pull on all ages.

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    2. I never enjoyed History at school but I now love reading Historical Fiction.

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  6. I need to check this out. This sounds like one I might enjoy

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  7. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment. I think you might enjoy Dawn of Legend also.

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  8. Great review, this is actually the first time I heard or seen this book and it looks and sounds absolutely fantastic and right up my alley to boot as well. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post and for putting this book on my radar.

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    1. Thank you for stopping by, Katiria. Take a look at my website for my other Arthurian books. http://www.cherylcarpinello

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    2. Thank you for always supporting my blog Katiria.

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